Robert Fisk: Sting in this Persian tale to force out Ahmadinejad

Robert Fisk

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's irascible, unpredictable but devout president, may be forced to resign in the coming weeks as a political crisis threatens to overwhelm him and his court favourites in the government.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's irascible, unpredictable but devout president, may be forced to resign in the coming weeks as a political crisis threatens to overwhelm him and his court favourites in the government.

Share

Robert Fisk: Sting in this Persian tale to force out Ahmadinejad

Independent.ie

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's irascible, unpredictable but devout president, may be forced to resign in the coming weeks as a political crisis threatens to overwhelm him and his court favourites in the government.

The overwhelming influence of his close friend and confidant Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaee, the president's chief of staff -- who is blamed for the firing of two intelligence ministers and for infuriating even the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei -- is expected to bring down Ahmadinejad in one of the most spectacular putsches in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian politicians are already speculating on who will succeed the president -- Ali Akbar Salehi, the foreign minister and for four years the head of Iran's atomic agency, is a favourite -- as three of Rahim-Mashaee's close allies have been purged in just three days over the past week, arrested by security agencies while Ahmadinejad has remained silent.

Please sign in or register with Independent.ie for free access to Opinions.